United and Tech in touch

Both of the Whanganui teams to make last season’s Bullocks Coastal Challenge playoffs picked up important wins to stay in touch with leader Weraroa on after the third round on Saturday.

On the always challenging early-season Collegiate wicket, St Johns Tech picked up a five wicket win over the schoolboys, who won the toss and elected to try their luck.

Collegiate were bowled out for 121, with the Tech bowling attack of opener Tim Roebuck and the Kinnerley’s – Ross and Fraser – getting on top of them.

Fraser Kinnerley picked up three wickets.

Fraser Kinnerley took three wickets for Tech.

Fraser Kinnerley took three wickets for Tech.

In reply, Tech took around the same number of 35 overs to reach the target, with bowler turned opening batsman Trent Hemi hanging around to pick up 31, while skipper Ross Kinnerley top scored with 40 from No4 in the order.

Both sides were guilty of a lot of wides bowled on the school pitch.

In the inter-provincial fixtures, United came off the bye to get their first Horowhenua-Kapiti club scalp with a comfortable eight wicket win over Kapiti Old Boys down at Weka Park.

Kapiti raised a competitive 237-8, with their best being opener Martin Harrison hitting a quick-fire 53 from 34 balls, while wicketkeeper Jayden Miles (58) and Patrick McNabb (60) had a strong partnership in the middle of the innings.

However, United hit back from the 40th over as they reduced Kapiti from 199-4 to 208-8, with Dylan Martin (2-51) getting both Miles and McNabb, while Martin Pennefather (2-21) picked up a couple of the tailenders.

Spinner Robbie Power (2-45) was the other notable bowler.

In reply, United skipper Tom Lance followed up his 125 not out from the Twenty20 competition with an unbeaten 130 not out from 105 balls, hitting a real purple patch of form.

Lance hit 18 boundaries and a six, and is forming a strong partnership with import Freddie Wilson, who again backed him in scoring 54, as United got the winning runs in the 36th over.

At Weraroa Domain, the home side won by 102 runs over a 10-man Marist in a slightly shortened match.

Weraroa made 275-7 from their 45 overs, with all of the top order contributing, led by opener Matt Good with 77 from 60 balls.

In reply, Marist were bowled out for 173 in the 35th over, with Craig Thorpe (66) the one strong innings, while O’Leary scored 29.

Simonsen (4-48) and Nav Singh (3-32) were the chief destroyers – Simonsen wrecking the top order to be 46-3, and after the fightback, Singh chipped out the lower order as Marist went from 151-5 to be all out in five overs.

There was a mild upset in the Horowhenua-Kapiti local derby as Levin Old Boys beat champions Paraparaumu by 41 runs at Te Atiawa Park.

It seemed Levin’s 177 from 45 overs would not be enough, but Paraparaumu were bowled out for 136 in the 30th over.